Graver holder



y 1943' w. MARSHECK 2,318,004

GRAVER HOLDER Filed Nov. 12; 1940 Patented May 4, 1943 UNITED STATESPAENT GFFICE GRAVER HOLDER William Marsheck, Baltimore, Md.

Application November 12, 1940, Serial No. 365,273

3 Claims. (01. 90 24) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) The invention described hereinmay be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the UnitedStates for governmental purposes without the payment to me of anyroyalty thereon in accordance with the provisions of the act of April30, 1928 (Ch. 460, 45 Stat. L. 467).

This invention pertains to holders and supports designed to facilitatethe use of gravers, burins, groovers and similar instruments inengraving lines on glass negatives, or plates of metal, fiber or othermaterial.

The instrument is of particular utility and advantage for engraving mapplates, the engraved lines of which must be acute and uniform fordistinction. In engraving road lines, for instance, it is highlydesirable that they consist of minute parallel lines of preciseuniformity.

Heretofore the engraver has had to depend upon his manual skill, in themanipulation of engraving instruments, for the perfection of mi-- nuteengravings. The present invention aims to relieve the engraver of thetiring, straining and exhausting efforts necessary to effect perfectionin engravings, whereby to render his manual skill less exacting and hisengravings more uniform, precise and flawless than is possible by manualskill mechanically unaided.

An aim of the invention is to provide a holder for engraving instrumentshaving suitable supporting elements capable of adjustment whereby tosimulate the various positions or angles of the human hand whenengraving, and, when the desired angularity has been determined withrespect to the material to be engraved, the engraving tool will remainconstantly in the desired position with respect to the material and thedegree of cut to be made therein,

Generally, the improved device comprises a support, means for adjustingthe angular relationship of the support with respect to a predeterminedsurface, and means for adjustably securing a burin, graver or otherengraving instrument to the support.

Further and other objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description, the appended claims, and theaccompanying drawing illustrating an embodiment having thecharacteristics of the invention and by which the same may be practiced.

Figure 1 of the drawing is a perspective view of an embodiment of theadjustable graver holder illustrating an operable application andposition of an engraving instrument;

Figure 2, a plan view of the embodiment of Fi ure 1;

Figures 3 and 4, front and side elevations thereof, respectively; and

Figure 5, an inverted plan view thereof.

A practical embodiment of this invention, such as illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, may comprise a table-like support iii of anydesired size and shape but preferably, though not necessarily, of aconfiguration whereby it may be firmly grasped and convenientlyoperated. For example, the illustrated embodiment is provided with aslightly concave portion H which may even be roughed, knurled orserrated, as indi cated by reference l2, for receiving the finger tipsand to provide sufficient traction to hold or grip the operators fingersduring the pushing operation of the device. Other indentations, such asl3 and I4 may also be provided in the edges of the table-like supportfor receiving, for example, the third finger and thumb, respectively, ina manner whereby the device may be firmly grasped and whereby pushingforce may be conveniently applied for operation.

Practical means whereby the angularity of the table, with respect to thesurface to be engraved,

- may be adjusted suitably comprises, as shown,

leg-forming screws l5 threaded through the table I0 and provided withlock nuts l6 for retaining adjustments. To facilitate the movement ofthe graver holder during operation, the leg-forming screws may beprovided with smooth, rounded, and polished ends and if desired may evenbe provided with anti-friction means such as ball bearings ll. Suchbearing points will not alone facilitate the free action of the device,but prevent the leg ends from marring or destroying minute and detailedengravings and will prevent the legs from scratching or cutting into thesurfaces to be engraved. The bearing ends of the legs should of coursehave a bearing surface of such size as will bridge the average engravedgroove, as it is passed thereover, so as not to cause a tilting of thetable.

A practical arrangement whereby an engraving instrument may beadjustably carried by the table may comprise, as shown, a pair of fixedjaw-like elements l8 and H), which may be integral portions of the tableand between which the blade of an engraving instrument 20 may be freelypassed, tilted about its longitudinal axis, and tilted horizontally,laterally, and vertically about a traverse axis to provide angularadjustments which may not be readily accomplished by adjustments of thetable leg-forming screws I5.

To fixedly secure the engraving instrument between the jaws l8 and I9and to retain the blade in desired angles to the surface of the plate tobe engraved, one or more set screws 2|, 22 and 23 may be carried by thejaw members in a manner whereby they may be adjustably projected fromthe inner faces of the jaws into gripping relation with the blade of anengraving instrument passed therebetween, and whereby the engravinginstrument may be secured to the tiltable table In at any desired angle,within a predetermined range, to the surface to be engraved.

Once the instrument is secured between the jaws I8 and I9 at theapproximate desired angle, the legs may then be adjusted to place thecutting edge or edges 24 of the graver in perfect contact, or otherdesired angles, with the surface to be engraved. When the desired angleof contact or cutting has been determined and set, the legs may then beequally lifted, or shortened, to the degree to which it is desired tohave the instrument cut into the plate. The adjustment, of course, maybe in any other desired order, rather than in the sequence given.

The desirability of angular adjustments of engraving instruments isobvious to the engraver and angular adjustments are particularlydesirable in the use of engraving instruments having a plurality ofcutting points, such as shown in the drawings by character reference 24,for the engraving of parallel lines. The angle of the blade, to a largeextent, determines the width and depth of the engraved grooves and withthe aid of the present invention such angular relationships, of theinstrument to the surface to be engraved, are not alone maintained butthe depth of cutting is uniformly controlled for perfection in results.

With the aid of this instrument the operator is enabled to adjust thegraver to the position of angle required for the engraving of single orparallel lines of even and equal strength; secure the adjustment; andproceed to engrave close and intricate detail with no danger of thegraver tilting out of position and without variation in the groove orgroovers being cut.

Having described my invention and illustrated an embodiment whereby thesame may be practiced, what I claim is:

1. In engraving devices the combination of a support, means foruniversally adjusting the angular relationship of the support and foradjustably elevating the support with respect to a predeterminedsurface, and means for securing an engraving instrument to said supportand adapted to be angularly adjustable thereon.

2. In devices of the class described, a manually controllable support,means carried by said support for securing an engraving instrumentthereto, and means for universally adjusting the angle of the engravinginstrument with respect to the surface to be engraved, said supportbeing provided with means to create traction between the finger tips ofan operator and the support during the manipulation of the device.

3. In devices of the class described, the combination of a support,means for adjustably elevating said support above a surface, saidsupport having means for. facilitating the manual gripping of the deviceduring a sliding operation thereof, means for adjustably securing anelongated engraving instrument to said support, and means for adjustingan engraving instrument, of the character stated when carried by saidsupport, rotatively about its longitudinal axis and also angularly withrespect to a surface to be engraved.

WILLIAM MARSHECK.

